The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL would beg to differ. The one thing I want to know about is if the fighters can unionize, that may be the next step for the fighters.

I'm very much against unions, but in this case it would be good. Dana White is worth over 200 million and the fighters make a few measly thousand a fight and even the big dogs don't get paid much in comparison to other multi-billion dollar sport industries.

lol at people thing this is good... maybe in the long term when the strikforce contracts run out in 2 years but for now....... Get ready to pay for strikforce ppvs every other card if you want to see there fights!!!

This, or just have one title for each weight class and call it the Zuffa _____ Champion of the World and have the champions defend their title in both orgs.

Except that would prevent them from being entirely seperate organizations. Dana & Lorenzo have said that they'll do super-fights, but not mix fighters under contract. 1 champ for both orgs would force SF fighters to fight in the UFC & vice versa.

The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL would beg to differ. The one thing I want to know about is if the fighters can unionize, that may be the next step for the fighters.

Those leagues basically have 30 separate companies (teams) inside of themselves working under one set of rules. Those leagues don't have a total monopoly on viewership of their sport because they buy out all the other smaller leagues, they simply have the most viewers because they are considered the highest level of their respective sports. That's not something that just happens overnight though, it takes many years to build a rich history. Same thing goes for players unions. It took a long time for the unions in those sports to get the power they have today. The odds of an actual fighters union anytime soon, if ever, is slim to none IMO.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today (March 14, 2011) held a special media conference call to discuss the terms of the promotion's recent purchase of Strikeforce as well as what changes fans (and fighters) can expect moving forward.

And when UFC President Dana White told reporters it would be "business as usual," he wasn't kidding.

Strikeforce will continue to operate independently under the direction of CEO Scott Coker. No changes will be made to the current fight schedule, including the upcoming Showtime event scheduled for April 9 in San Diego as well as the continuation of the heavyweight grand prix tournament on June 18 in Dallas.

But one thing you may notice differently during both of those upcoming shows is the use of elbows on the ground.

That's because the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts will be implemented effective immediately for all Strikeforce events according to UFC owner Lorenzo Feritta, who joined both White and Coker on today's conference call.

But that's not all.

Star-divide

Showtime maintains control over the televised production of Strikeforce broadcasts, meaning everything from the look and feel of the show (the cage will remain a hexagon) to the announce team on fight night is likely to stay the same.

The current Strikeforce/Showtime deal reportedly expires in 2014 and Fertitta maintains the acquisition was not made as a "defensive maneuver" against rival investors like ProElite, but to grow the current roster and improve their position as they enter a global expansion.

The same can't be said for women's MMA, which may expire right alongside the Showtime contract if Dana White has anything to say about it. While he carefully deflected a question about the future of top female fighters like Gina Carano and "Cyborg" Santos, White has been adamant in the past about keeping women's combat out of the Octagon.

With approximately 140 fighters under contract to Strikeforce, most fans wanted to know how quickly they can expect to see the best from both promotions get inside the cage and settle a couple of longstanding disputes, namely, who is the world's best fighter in each weight class.

That debate may not end anytime soon.

White told a disappointed fanbase that fantasy match-ups and "supefights" are not on the radar at this time and that eligibility to compete for both brands comes down to specific contractual obligations.

Then again, there are some fighters like Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson, who have just one fight left in their current deal and could conceivably sign with Zuffa once that remaining bout is satisfied.

Fertitta even left the door open to UFC exiles Paul Daley and Josh Barnett, reiterating that business is business and he always puts the interests of the fans and the growth of the sport before his own.

And speaking of growth, expect the UFC marketing machine to get behind the promotion of future Strikeforce events, which could lead to breaking new ground in Canadian and Hispanic markets. Fertitta also called an end to the UFC counter-programming efforts against his former rival but assured fans that Spike TV will still offer an abundance of UFC-related content.

So that's it in a nutshell.

Strikeforce remains (mostly) the same while the UFC has access to yet another MMA tape library. It's no secret that most of the changes Zuffa has in mind (including an eventual merger) cannot (and will not) be discussed until the existing contract with Showtime comes to an end.

After that, it's anybody's guess.

What's yours?

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__________________
It is because you chose to get on the mat that makes you the winner. Think about how many people are not on that mat right now. - Luis Sucuri Togno

So basically the way I see it is, The UFC bought STRIKEFORCE just to cash in on their profit. Why have them as competitors when they can be making money off them? They didn't buy it with the intention of giving us the super matches we want. Not that there are many in my opinion anyway but I would like to see Overeem vs Cain or Dos Santos. Fedor vs Randy.

So basically the way I see it is, The UFC bought STRIKEFORCE just to cash in on their profit. Why have them as competitors when they can be making money off them? They didn't buy it with the intention of giving us the super matches we want. Not that there are many in my opinion anyway but I would like to see Overeem vs Cain or Dos Santos. Fedor vs Randy.

well yeah, eventually there will be no such this as SF (just like WEC) ... but i disagree on the talent part ... UFC will glean all the good talent and bring them into the UFC ... we won't see crossover fights, but eventually everyone will be in the UFC .. don't worry, another organization will come up do somewhat well and the UFC will buy them as well ...

well yeah, eventually there will be no such this as SF (just like WEC) ... but i disagree on the talent part ... UFC will glean all the good talent and bring them into the UFC ... we won't see crossover fights, but eventually everyone will be in the UFC .. don't worry, another organization will come up do somewhat well and the UFC will buy them as well ...

I think the UFC plans on doing both. The same way that Starbucks also owns their "copmetitor" Seattle's Best Coffee. By creating the appearance of competition, against a purposefully lesser product, you help to establish yourself as the top dog while still getting money from those that don't like you.